Improving Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace

 

Business mentor and angel investor Mark Lyttleton takes a keen interest in workplace mental health and working smarter not harder to achieve a healthy work-life balance. This article will look at mental health in the workplace and what employers can do to increase mental health awareness among employees.

Unmet mental health needs of employees can take a significant toll on staff wellbeing, performance and engagement, which in turn impedes the success of a business. In spite of this, many HR departments still fall woefully short when it comes to addressing the issue of workplace mental health.

According to data published by the World Health Organisation, in 2019, approximately 15% of working adults had a mental health condition. In the United States alone, this resulted in a $1 trillion loss in productivity, with 12 billion working days lost globally.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a spike in mental health challenges, causing many employers to double down on efforts prioritising mental health. Today, 75% of employees admit that they have struggled with mental health problems at one point or another during their working lives.

In the United States, the National Alliance on Mental Health reports that 20% of adults deal with mental illness each year. The organisation characterises mental illness as a condition that affects an individual’s thinking, feeling, behaviour or mood, pointing out that mental health conditions deeply impact day-to-day living, as well as affecting a person’s ability to relate to others.

With workers spending a third of their lives at work, on average, equating to more than 90,000 hours over a lifetime, it is crucial for employers to prioritise mental health awareness to ensure the safety and wellbeing of employees. Creating a culture of openness around mental health issues is not only integral to the wellbeing of employees but also vital for overall productivity and success. Businesses must therefore make workplace mental health a priority. By reducing the stigma that surrounds mental health issues, businesses can empower their employees to reduce workplace stress, achieve a healthy work-life balance and seek help where necessary.

To boost mental health awareness in the workplace, businesses must educate leadership, management and employees. This can be achieved by conducting training programmes, seminars or workshops to help workers recognise common signs of mental health conditions.

In addition, employers also need to implement mental health policies, providing workers with adequate resources and support frameworks, with managers leading by example and encouraging open communication. To that end, conversations about mental health must be normalised, with employees encouraged to check in on each other – creating a safe and supportive environment in which talking about mental health and wellbeing is as normal as discussing physical health.

SKOOT Welcomes New Board Chair Ashish Devi-King

 

Mark Lyttleton is an angel investor and business mentor who takes a keen interest in supporting organisations created to achieve a positive planetary impact, including SKOOT, a start-up that helps people and businesses to become more sustainable by reducing their carbon footprint. This article will look at SKOOT’s recent appointment of Ashish Devi-King as board chair ahead of significant expansion of the company in 2024.

On 4^th January 2024, SKOOT announced Ashish Devi-King’s strategic appointment, hailing it as a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing mission to provide in-the-moment sustainability solutions for the hospitality industry.

SKOOT is a London-based Top 5% B Corp. The company is a pioneering force in the climate tech landscape, providing real-time sustainability solutions. Following an extraordinarily successful year partnering with industry leaders such as Coventry Building Society Arena, Oracle GloriaFood and Oracle, SKOOT is poised at the forefront of sustainable innovation across the hospitality sector.

Reflecting on the appointment, SKOOT co-founder and CEO Greg Gormley indicated that Ashish Devi-King’s appointment marked a pivotal moment for the company. Mr Gormley highlighted Mr Devi-King’s impressive background in guiding the growth journeys of early-stage companies, having raised almost $25 million in equity funding for tech start-ups, making him invaluable as SKOOT enters its next expansion phase. Greg Gormley cited Ashish Devi-King’s support for the company right from its inception as a demonstration of his deep understanding of SKOOT and its overall mission.

Ashish Devi-King is the founder of the advisory firm Ridgeback Partners. Reflecting on his appointment as SKOOT board chair, Mr Devi-King said he was excited and honoured to take on the role, explaining that strong equity stories and planet-positive missions were of immense importance to him. Ashish Devi-King highlighted SKOOT’s role as a clear first-mover, driving carbon awareness and reduction across the hospitality space. Mr Devi-King said he looked forward to working alongside a team he had supported as an early investor, building on their recent achievements as they drive towards their Series A funding round.

SKOOT’s award-winning climate change platform was launched to help individuals, businesses and whole communities to reduce their carbon footprint to achieve net-zero. The company plants trees in some of the world’s most deforested regions to sequester emissions. In addition, the organisation also supports and funds other carbon reduction projects. To date, SKOOT has planted more than 1.2 million trees across various damaged locations around the world, restoring precious habitats and ecosystems.

 

Healing Stress and Anxiety with Pranic Healing

 

As an experienced angel investor and business mentor, Mark Lyttleton knows all too well the personal challenges and stresses involved in running and growing a successful business. In addition to his extensive entrepreneurial and investment expertise, Mark Lyttleton is also a certified Associate Pranic Healer. This article will take a closer look at Pranic Healing and how energy flow can be used to heal stress and anxiety.

Pranic Healing is a powerful tool that can drastically improve a person’s quality of life. When an individual begins to practice Pranic Healing it brings inner joy, peace and illumination, triggering an inner transformation that radiates outwards – creating a positive rippling effect for those around them including friends, family and colleagues. The more people practice Pranic Healing the greater this ocean of love and light expands, inspiring more and more new participants to reap the rewards of self-healing and inner transformation.

Pranic Healing can be used to treat a whole host of physical and psychological ailments. Physical conditions that Pranic Healing can alleviate include chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, skin disorders, arthritis, pulmonary and respiratory issues, lupus, anaemia, gastrointestinal issues such as ulcerative colitis and even Alzheimer's disease, stroke and cancer.

Psychological issues that Pranic Healing is used to treat include insomnia, anger management, grief, anxiety, stress and depression, as well as addictions to alcohol, food, drugs, smoking and gambling.

Around the world today, rates of stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise, with depressive symptoms growing from around 193 million people globally to 246 million, according to a report by Forbes. The same report reveals that anxiety disorders are also increasing, rising from 298 million individuals to around 374 million globally.

Now more than ever, people need to learn healthy ways to deal with anxiety and stress. Stress in particular can take a huge mental, emotional and physical toll. Thankfully, Pranic Healing can help.

A no-touch, no-drug energy treatment, Pranic Healing centres around balance, harmonising and transforming the body’s energy processes. The practice is based upon the fundamental principle that the human body has the power to heal itself using Prana or energy.

Through a variety of practices such as psychological therapy, mindfulness, yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, Pranic Healing enables people to liberate their minds from negative thoughts, helping them to process their feelings in a healthier way. Pranic Healing helps people to lead happier, healthier lives, freeing them of worry, stress and anxiety and enabling them to love and embrace themselves.

 

 

How to Be a Better Business Consultant

 

Angel investor and business mentor Mark Lyttleton operates with a special focus on supporting early-stage companies launched with the vision of achieving a positive planetary impact. This article will look at business consultancy, sharing tips to help consultants maximise their impact on the businesses they serve and propel them to success.

For consultants, reviews are integral to establishing and assessing their reputation. Prospective customers will pay heed to both positive and negative reviews, highlighting the importance of consultants adopting a proactive approach when it comes to managing reviews. It is also important to realise that even a negative review can be turned into a positive if the customer’s feedback is taken on board and used to improve the customer journey.

In order to be successful, a consultant needs to have a good grasp of what their clients are thinking. Feedback is incredibly useful, particularly early on in the client relationship, providing an honest assessment of the consultant’s services from the client’s perspective. Whether positive or negative, feedback helps consultants to recognise areas that require their attention.

A big part of consulting is staging meaningful presentations. It is crucial for consultants to pique the audience’s attention with a good mix of engaging visuals and useful information throughout their presentation. In addition, successful business consultants invest in creating an optimised, professional website, constantly adding quality and engaging content. This improves their search engine ranking, helping them to generate business and secure better clients by making themselves more visible.

Consultancy requires attention to detail in order to produce error-free deliverables, showing the client that the consultant’s recommendations are thorough and solid. There can be no room for calculation mistakes or errors with spelling or grammar, as these will reflect badly on the entire team.

Working as a business consultant can be an incredibly rewarding career path, enabling consultants to work on their own terms and become involved in exciting new projects. Provided the consultant is passionate about their trade, it is difficult to have a bad day at work. However, there is always room for improvement. A great business consultant is more than just an expert in their field. After all, in business leadership, there are many moving parts.

Business owners seeking the services of a business consultant are looking for a safe pair of hands and someone they can rely on to do exactly what they promise to do, when they promise to do it. The ability to follow through is what sets great consultants apart from the competition when it comes to building trust and credibility among clients.

Inside the Mind of an Angel Investor

 

Business mentor and angel investor Mark Lyttleton provides founders with the financial and strategic support necessary to establish and scale successful businesses. This article will take a closer look at angel investment, exploring the key motivations and pitfalls from the angel investor’s perspective.

An angel investor is typically a high-net-worth individual with intimate experience of launching, running and scaling their own successful business. Angel investors come from a variety of different backgrounds but are defined as an individual who invests funds in a small business in exchange for a minority stake.

Jonathan Fitchew made his name and fortune as the co-founder of Pareto Law. He subsequently left the company following the death of fellow co-founder and good friend Andy Sawer. Today, Jonathan Fitchew serves as CEO of Apprentify Group, which recently bought out The Juice Academy, a company that provides digital marketing apprenticeships.

One of the best-known entrepreneurs in the North West today, Jonathan Fitchew’s other business interests include Venn Digital, Netcom Training and Next Connex. In addition, he is also one of a growing number of angel investors in the UK, having invested a ‘significant six-figure sum’ in over 10 enterprises over the years.

For those contemplating following his example and becoming an angel investor, Mr Fitchew warns that founders often have unrealistic expectations of what their businesses are worth and what they will become. Jonathan Fitchew also points out that one of the biggest mistakes an angel investor can make is throwing money at too many things. After all, successful business people typically invest all of their time and effort into a single business that makes them a great deal of money.

When considering a pitch, angel investors need to weigh up several key considerations, including the business plan and concept, financials, the team, market understanding and opportunities, the competitive landscape, and their exit strategy.

Investing in high-growth start-ups is a high-risk, potentially high-return investment strategy that can be both exciting and rewarding. Executed well, angel investment can be used to diversify investment portfolios, creating scope for significant returns, which is a primary motivation for many angel investors. Indeed, it is not uncommon for successful start-ups to deliver in excess of 10 times the initial outlay of savvy investors. However, as with all investment vehicles, there is also a degree of risk. Angel investment is a high-risk investment strategy, as if the business fails to live up to expectations this can culminate in significant losses.

 

 

 

How to Set Up a Charity in the UK

 

Mark Lyttleton is an angel investor, speaker and business mentor who supports a range of charities on a regular basis. This article will provide an overview of the steps required to set up a charity in the UK.

People decide to set up a charity for all kinds of reasons. For example, perhaps they have experienced a traumatic event and want to help others in a similar situation or are moved by a particular social and environmental concern. Essentially, people set up charities because they see a problem that needs solving or a way they can improve, and even save, people’s lives.

Although establishing and running a charity can be extremely fulfilling, it can also be quite challenging. Founders need to be in it for the long haul and it is therefore essential that they are channelling their energies into a cause they believe in and directing those energies in a productive way.

The first step in launching a charity is ensuring that it will not duplicate or undermine the efforts of other charities operating in the same area. It is also necessary to consider whether setting up a charity is really the right option. Although a registered charity benefits from significant perks such as charitable status and tax advantages for donors, other alternatives may be a better fit in some circumstances.

There are four types of charity structure in the UK:

·       Trusts

·       Unincorporated Associations

·       Charitable Companies

·       Charitable Incorporated Organisations

If the charity’s annual income exceeds £5,000 or the founders choose to set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), the charity will need to be registered. Founders will need to ensure that their organisation has been created for charitable purposes for public benefit, appointing trustees, naming their charity and creating a governing document. The governing document will deal with aspects such as the organisation’s charitable purposes, how it is run, how decisions are made, rules about payments to trustees and expenses, and how to resolve internal disputes.

If establishing a charity is the right option, the trustees need to agree on the structure for their new organisation, which will have a significant impact on what it can do. The most appropriate choice of structure will depend on a combination of factors, including the amount of money involved and how activities will be funded; whether charitable services will be delivered under contract; whether the charity will be open to a wide membership; and whether its trustees are willing to accept personal liability for the charity’s activities.

 

How Does Pranic Healing Help People to Improve Their Personal Relationships?

 

Speaker, angel investor and business mentor Mark Lyttleton is a certified Associate Pranic Healer who not only provides business founders with strategic support but also helps them to negotiate the considerable personal challenges involved in establishing and growing a business. This article will take a closer look at Pranic Healing and its potential to help people experience smoother and more meaningful relationships with their friends, family and colleagues.

Energy is the basis of the universe and everything within it. It underpins an individual’s relationships with their parents, siblings, friends, foes, partners and children.

As Master Choa Kok Sui points out, ‘We are living in an ocean of life energy.’ Many people detect an ‘atmosphere’ when they walk into a room, even if they cannot see it. Even if they were not present an hour before when an argument took place, they may still detect the toxic energy lingering.

In addition to the negative effects, people can also absorb positive, uplifting and happy energy, for example the buzz of the crowd at a sports match or pop concert. People can experience this even if they are not physically present just by watching the event on TV. To a greater or lesser extent, most people have felt moved at some point in their lives by such a special energy.

Just as it is crucial for people to choose how they react to energy as they go about their daily lives, it is also vital for them to have a greater awareness of the impact of their own energy, as well as that of other people. Such a consciousness helps people to live purposefully and happily, fulfilling their destinies while helping others to do likewise. Energy can never be destroyed or created, but it can change form. It may not be practical for an individual to avoid certain places, scenarios or people, and this is where Pranic Healing comes into its own.

Pranic Healing helps people to learn step-by-step, simple-to-follow techniques that they can apply in their daily lives to improve their relationships. Many of these practices centre around an individual dealing with their own energy field, as like attracts like, and the world, and everyone in it, tends to act as a mirror, reflecting a person’s own interactions with those around them.

The specialised protocols of Pranic Psychotherapy help to repair disrupted relationships by balancing the chakras that control thoughts and emotions, releasing toxicity from the individual’s mind, and helping them to rebuild and improve their personal relationships.